Garment-closure.



Patented June 24, |902.

UNTED "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES B. HOl/VD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SAHLIN CORSET COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GARlVlENT-CLOSURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 702,949, dated. June 24:, 1902.

Application tiled March 5, 1902. Serial No. 96,760. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BURTON HOWD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Closures,of which the following is a full and complete specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved closure for garments par-A ticularly adapted for lacing and having some special adaptation also in details of structure to the laced closure of a corset or similar undergarment.

It consists in the features of construct-ion of the marginal portion of either of the edges of the garment which are to be secured together by which lacing-apertures are formed, bound by folded edges of the fabric, as said features are particularly set outin the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a portion of the garment, being the two margins which are laced together embodying my invention. Fig. 2 isa detail elevation of one of the marginal portions shownvin Fig. l, having certain of the layers of fabricpartly cut away and folded back to disclose the un'- derlying or interior structure. Fig. 3 is a Section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 2. Fig. et is a plan of a small piece of the strip of fabric in which the apertures for lacing are made, showing the same in blank-that is, with the slits indicated before the aperture has been formed by folding back the flaps. Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the flaps folded back, developing the apertures.

In constructing a garment with my invention I first take a strip 1 of fabric and slit it as shown by the lines 2 and 3 in Fig. 4, making two rows of such slits, those of each row being in positions corresponding to the lacing-apertures desired. I then fold back the fabric at the dotted lines at 4 in Fig. et, laying the iiaps 5, which are thus outlined, over onto the surface of the fabric, as seen in Fig. 5, leaving triangular apertures 6 6 in two rows, the close of each row being matched in position by those of the other row, so that the 'strip being folded at the dotted line 7 on Fig. 5 the apertures of one row will coincide,

` respectively, with those of the other row, the

iiaps being inward. I next take a strip S of light fabric of suitable width to be lodged in the fold of the strip l and to lap a little distance onto the corners of the iiaps 5. The purpose of this is to protect and guard the lining within whose fold a stay-piece may be inserted endwise without liability to encounter the edges ofthe I iaps, which it is the pur- 6o pose of the strip 8 to protect. I next provide bands tobe applied to lap all the corners of the apertures 6. It Will be noticed that the edges 9 of the triangular apertures toward the fold'of the strip l are cut edges, the other two edges being folds of the fabric, and that the band applied so as to cover the corners whichV terminate these cut edges will cover also the entire cut edge between the corners. The two bands for covering at opposite sides of the folded strip l these cut edges parallel with the fold 7 are formed in one piece, constituting, in effect, a tubular pocket or binding 10, the infolded edges of which lap onto the apertures 6 6 and consti- 75 tuting the boundary at that side of the laci ing-apertures when the garment is finished,

so that all three sidesof said lacing-apertures are folded edges. This pocket or binding 10 is secured by a stitching through both the 8o folded edges, which are themselves thus secured together and also to the two layers of the apertured piece l, said layers being also themselves secured together by the same stitching. This pocket is designed to receive the stay-piece l1, which may be inserted endwise after the process of formation above described is completed. To cover the row of third corners of the apertures 6, separate bands are required at the opposite sides. At 9o the outer side the band 12 has one infolded edge stitched at 13 to the apertured piece l at a line such that the folded edge ofthe band overlaps the inner corners ofthe triangular apertures and protects that angle which for a 9 5 bare point is without fold by the folded edge of the band. The other edge of the band is infolded and stitched to the body of the garment at 14E. An intermediate line of stitching l5 is preferably employed to additionally roo secure the band and at the same time to secure the inner edges of the two layers of the the lacing.

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folded piece 1, so that they will not be liable t0 become distorted or rolled up in handling or wearing the garment. For the purpose of the band at the inner side of the garment to protect the inn er row of corners of the apertures I preferably employ a strip 16 wide enough to constitute an under-fly to lap part way across any gap which may exist under For this purpose it is in folded at the inner edge, so as to be secured at the fold by the line of stitching 14. It is also engaged by the line of stitching 15, and the other edge is folded under, so as to form a wide pocket,

at 17, extending from said last-mentioned line of stitching under or back of the lacingapertures and under the stay-piece pocket or binding 10 and projecting a distance beyond the margin of the latter for the purpose indicated. This pocket 17 may receive a removable pad or stiffener, as preferred, or it may be left unoccupied and serve merely as a fly to conceal the aperture expanded by the lacing-apertures 18 18.

I do not limit myself to making the apertures triangular nor to leaving one edge of them a cut edge in the first instance and before the protecting-bands are applied nor to having one edge parallel to the margin ordirection of length of the stay-piece pocket; but each of these features I consider introduced for certain purposes and have chosen them for the purpose of illustrating my invention in its preferred form.

I claim- 1. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric, having a row of apertures with the respective edges which are toward the margin of the garment in line with each other, the fabric at two sides of each aperture being folded back on itself togive the aperture folded edges at said sides, and bands secured to the fabric to protect the aperture edges toward the margin of the garment.

2. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric havingarow of apertures, the fabric at at least two sides of each aperture which trend transversely with respect to the margin of the garment being folded back on itself to give the apertures folded edges at such transversely-trending sides; and bands secured to the apertured fabric at opposite sides of the same, covering the respective edges of the apertures toward the margin of the garment.

3. A garment-closure comprising two layers of fabric having coinciding apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer which trend transversely with respect tothe margin of the garment, being folded back on itself at the surface facing the other layer to give the aperture folded edges at such transversely-trending sides; bands on the opposite sides of the apertured fabric covering the respective apertured edges toward the margin of the garment, and stitching securing both layers and both bands together between the margin and the row of apertures.

4. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric folded on itself to make twolayers, said layers having coinciding apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer which trend transversely with respect to the margin of the garment being folded back on itself at the surface toward the other layer, to give folded edges to such transverselytrending sides of the apertures; bands on the opposite sides of the fabric covering the aperture edges toward the garment margin, and stitching securingthe layers together and the bands to the layers between the garment margin and the apertures.

5. A garment-closure comprising a layer of fabric having a row of. apertures, the fabric at at least two sides of each aperture which trend transversely with respect to the garment margin being folded back upon itself, to give folded edges to such sides of the apertures; third side of all said apertures teward the margin of the garment being in line; a pocket or tubular band infoldin g the fabric along said third sides, and stitching securing the two sides of the pocket together and to the fabricat a line parallel with said third sides between the garment margin and said apertures.

6. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric having a row of apertures, the fabric at at least two sides of each aperture which trend transversely with respect to the margin l of the garment being folded back on itself giving the apertures each two folded edges; and bands secured upon the apertured fabric at the opposite sides of the same covering the corners of the apertures toward the margin of the garment.

7. A garment-closure comprising two layers of fabric having coinciding apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded back on itself at the surface facing the other layer; bands lapping the corners of the apertures toward the margin of the garment and secured to said layers.

S. A garment-closure comprisinga piece of fabric folded on itself to form two layers, said layers having coinciding apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded back on itself at the surface toward the other layer; and the bands overlapping the corners of the apertures resulting from such folding; stitching securing the layers together and the bands to the layers.

9. A garment-closure comprising two layers of fabric having coinciding rows of apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded back upon itself at the surface toward the other layer to make the margins of the apertures of fabric folds; a pocket or tubular band infolding the corners of the apertures at the side of the row toward the margin of the garment; and stitching securing the two layers together and the two edges of the infolding pocket or band to the layers. Y

10. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric folded on itself to form two layers,

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. said layers having rows of apertures which coincide when the fabric is thus folded, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded on its surface toward the opposite layer to give the aperture folded edges; a pocket or tubular band infoldiug the fold of the folded fabric piece and the corners of the apertures toward said fold; and stitching securing the two layers together aud the edges of the infolding pocket or tube to the same.

11. A garment-closure comprising two layers of fabric having coinciding rows of apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded back on its surface toward the other layer to give the apertures folded edges; a guard-strip folded lengthwise on itself and inserted thus folded between the two layers at one side of the rows of apertures to separate the iufolded flaps of the apertures of the two strips from each other, a stay-piece pocket infolding the corners of the apertures at the same side of the row at which said guardstrip is inserted and infolding said guardstrip; and stitching securing the edges of the stay-piece pocket to the layers an d said layers to each other.

12. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric folded on itself to form two layers, said layers having rows of apertures coinciding when thus folded, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded back upon itself forming flaps on the surfaces of the layers toward each other to give the apertures folded edges; a folded strip lodged in the fold of the fabric between the line of folding and the rows of apertures to separate the flaps of the two layers from each other; and stitching securing the two layers together across the corners of the apertures at the side of the row toward the fold of Jthe fabric.

13. A garment-closure comprising a piece of fabric folded on itself to form two layers, said layers having rows of apertures which coincide when it is thus folded, the fabric at two sides of each aperture in each layer being folded inward toward the other layer forming iiaps and giving the apertures folded edges;

a strip of fabric folded lengthwise and lodged in the fold of the apertured fabric lapping the corners of the apertures toward said fold to separate the flaps of the two layers from each other; a stay-piece pocket or tubular band infolding the fold of the apertured fabric and said folded strip therein; and stitching securing the inner edges of the stay-piece pocket together and to the fabric layers.

14. A garment-closure comprising two layers of fabric having coinciding rows of apertures, the fabric at two sides of each aperture iu each layer which trend transversely with respect to the margin of the garment being folded back upon itself toward the opposite layer forming flaps and giving the apertures folded edges; parallel bands on the outer surfaces of both layers crossing the corners of the apertures at the side of the row toward the margin of the garment and also at the side remote from said margin; and stitching securing the corresponding opposite edges of said bands together and to the fabric layers.

15. A garment-closure comprising two lay ers of fabric having coinciding rows of apertures, said apertures being formed by slits from au interior point to the corners of the apertures, the fabric bounded by the slits being folded back forming flaps on the surface of the layers facing each other giving the apertures folded edges, one side of all the apertures being in a straight line; a pocket or tubular binding forming the margin of the garment infolding the strips at the edge proximate to such line and infolding also said edges of the apertures; and stitching securing the two edges of the binding together and to the fabric strips within the apertures, whereby said apertures have an edge parallel with the bound edge of the fabric.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 27th day of February, 1902.

CHARLES B. HOVD.

ln presence of- CHAs. S. BURTON, HERBERT J. ADAMS. 

